from The Temple (1633), by George Herbert:

¶
Aaron.

HOlinesse on the head,1Light and perfections on the breast,2Harmonious bells below, raising the dead3 To leade them unto life and rest. Thus are true Aarons drest. Profanenesse in my head, Defects and darknesse in my breast,A noise of passions ringing me for dead Unto a place where is no rest. Poore priest thus am I drest. Onely another head I have, another heart and breast,Another musick, making live not dead, Without whom I could have no rest: In him I am well drest. Christ is my onely head, My alone onely heart and breast,My onely musick, striking me evn dead; That to the old man I may rest, And be in him new drest. So holy in my head, Perfect and light in my deare breast,My doctrine tund by Christ, (who is not dead, But lives in me while I do rest) Come people Aarons drest.

General Note: Aaron. Moses and Miriams brother, first priest
of Yahweh. For the ceremonial dress of the priest see
Exodus 28:1ff.
for commentary and other translations.

1 Exodus 28:36-37 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon
it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 37 And thou shalt
put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront
of the mitre it shall be. The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge)
1769. [Return]

2 Exodus 28:30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate
of judgment the Urim and the Thummim;* and they shall be upon Aarons
heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment
of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

* Urim signifies light, and thummim perfection: declaring that the stones
of the breastplate were most clear, and of perfect beauty: by urim also is
meant knowledge, and thummim holiness, showing what virtues are required
in the priests. From
the
Geneva Notes, the Bible used in Herberts time before the Authorised/
King James Version (1611). [Return]

3 Exodus 28:33-35 And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt
make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the
hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: 34 A golden bell
and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe
round about. 35 And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall
be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he
cometh out, that he die not. The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge)
1769. [Return] Editors note: In antiquity bells
did not have the clapper inside the bell. The sound was made by the pomegranates
hitting the bells as the priest walked.

E-mail note: "I just LOVE this prayer, which is cut into a mirror in our sacristy at church. . . ." - Martha Jo
Editor's comment: Proper place for the poem. The priest may see himself in the poem as he prepares.